“Just stay behind me,” Perrin sighed.

As he rode closer at the head of his strange party, bows that had been raised were, lowered and arrows un-nocked. They had Stepper, he saw with delight, and with less delight, Swallow. Faile would never forgive him if he let her black mare be injured. It would be good to be back on his dun, but maybe he would keep Stayer as well; a lord could have two horses. Even a lord who might not have more than another four days to live.

Dannil rode out from the Two Rivers column, knuckling his thick mustaches, and Aram, and the women rode with them. Perrin recognized ageless Aes Sedai faces even before he picked out Verin and Alanna, both riding to the rear of the women. He did not know any of the others, but he was certain who they were, if not how they had gotten here. Nine. Nine Aes Sedai could be more than useful in three or four days now, yet how far could he trust them? They were nine, and Rand had told them only six could follow him. He wondered which one was Merana, their leader.

A square-faced Aes Sedai who looked like a farmer beneath her agelessness spoke before Dannil could. Her mount was a solid brown mare. “So you are Perrin Aybara. Lord Perrin, I should say. We’ve heard a great deal about you.”

“It is a surprise to meet you here,” an arrogant if beautiful woman said coolly, “with such odd companions.” She rode a dark gelding with a fierce eye; Perrin would have wagered the animal was trained as a war horse. “We thought sure you would be ahead of us yet.”

Ignoring them—one of those two must be Merana, and he was not certain what to say to her yet—Perrin looked at Dannil. “Not that I’m displeased, but how did you come here?”

Dannil glanced at the Aes Sedai and stroked his mustaches furiously. “We started out like you said, Lord Perrin, and as fast as we could. I mean, we left the wagons and all, since it seemed there must be some reason for you to leave so quick. Then Kiruna Sedai and Bera Sedai and the others caught us up, and they said Alanna could find Rand—the Lord Dragon, I mean—and since you went with him, I thought sure you’d be wherever he was, and no way to tell us if you’d gone from Cairhien, and. . . .” He drew a deep breath. “Anyway, it seems they were right, weren’t they, Lord Perrin.”

Perrin frowned, wondering how Alanna could find Rand. But she must be able to, or Dannil and the rest would not be here. She and Verin were continuing to stay back, with a slim, hazel-eyed woman who seemed to sigh often.